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Grants, NM

Yesterday we drove north from Amarillo through a small piece of Oklahoma and into southeast Colorado. We drove through the breat taking Comanche National Grasslands and south into New Mexico. We spent the night at the KOA in Raton, NM last night so we could shower, wash the clothes, and get rid of the necessaries. We were thrilled to see bison and jackalopes on our journey!

But something even more amazing also happened. While driving through the grassland our empty light went on. I pulled the GPS to see where the closest gas station (JP’S Shell) was and it found it was about 45 miles out. Yeah, you read that right. A drive that distance has typically taken just under a quarter of a tank. Ism and I started to get really nervous. We pulled into the next driveway we came across and down a long road to a sketchy looking ranch house. Two big dogs climbed out from under the truck in the yard and we’re decided honking the horn was the best option. After a few blows, no one appeared and we decided to move on. We all noticed a large private gas pump on our way back to the highway. None of us was willing to risk the dogs though. We took the next hour to spend some time in prayer and stretching our creativity. As we pulled into JP’S Shell in Trinidad we all breathed a sigh of relief and offered a song of praise for God’s provision. He has carried us 45 miles on E! The rest of the day’s marvels quickly paled in comparison.

Today we drove from Raton across New Mexico to our current WalMart spot in Grants, NM. Gos had another little surprise for us here which we’ll get to in a minute. We took a mid-day lunch break in Santa Fe and enjoyed all that really neat city had to offer. Our kids loved the pueblos and the beautiful work crafted by the local artisans. After our stop we loaded back up and continued toward the Arizona border. We decided early in the day that we’d be stopping at the Grants WalMart as we’d heard rumors of the dangers of overnighting in the Gallup lot from a security guard in Amarillo. Funny, huh?! Anyway, as we pulled off the freeway Ism and I smiled at each other. This was the exact same place we stopped over 7 years ago on our honeymoon trek from Florida to California! The same Denny’s where I got food poisoning is still here! The WalMart we’re camped at is the same one we stopped at to change our oil! This all may seem silly but it was a confirmation to us in a tough day that God’s hand is still on us. Just as it was 7 years ago on our first cross country road trip. God reminded us to look to His promises when our circumstances seem shaky.

Please pray for wisdom as we discern God’s plan for our house back in NH. We received a letter confirming that we have less than 60 days to make a decision about putting it up for sale. Leaving NH in this situation was a tough choice to make and probably seems irresponsible at best, but we know it’s what God is calling us to do. Pray that we are able to walk this path of faith to the end without growing weary. Pray that God continues to bring the folks across our path who have been gifted to give to God’s ministry through us and that all our needs are met.